Miami Heat vs Houston Rockets Prediction: Rockets are full of young talent, Heat has veterans

The NBA Preseason isn’t anywhere close to the action that we see during the Regular Season but hey, when NBA athletes collide, the battle lines are going to be fierce. That is why the scoring in the Preseason has been bloated than average but it hasn’t been all walk in the park for the offense. It won’t be a walk in the park against the Miami Heat defense either as they take on the fledgling Houston Rockets.

Miami comes into this game after a win against the Grizzlies with a scoreline of 111:108 as Duncan Robinson put in 29 points. In the last game, the Heat didn’t field their main stars Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro, meaning they went with a second-string unit. Will it be the same for the Miami outfit here in this game? Their second unit did well against a near-full-strength Grizzlies team.

The Heat will be up for another big season and they are just two seasons past their Finals run. The growth of Tyler Herro has helped bolster the offense but last season, Kyle Lowry was unable to make shots during the Playoffs regularly. Bam Adebayo will again play a crucial role in the middle but Jimmy Butler will again be the focal point on both ends. What can the Heat cook this season?

The young Rockets come into this game after defeating the Raptors 116:100 as Tari Eason had 24 points. The Rockets have now won both of their Preseason games but that may not be a common occurrence during the Regular Season. Tari Eason has now scored 20 or more twice in a row and seems to be a great pick-up at 17 during this year’s draft. How will he perform once the Regular Season comes in?

The Rockets’ big draft pick was Jabari Smith, who can both run the floor and also shoot from outside as a big. This is something that the Rockets have been missing for years and with an incredible scoring guard in Jalen Green and a dependable playmaker Kevin Porter Jr., he can be involved in run-and-gun schemes. But this also means that the young Rockets can be out of control for the most part and struggle in half-court settings.

This is Preseason and that is why second-string teams are even overpowering the first units that are not playing with full intensity. Even if the Heat fields their second-string unit again, there is a sense that they can emerge victorious considering their influx of strong defenders. I will pick the Heat here to win the game.